FB: VT 17, Duke 16

[CameronBornAndBred]

VT sucks, but then again so does Syracuse and they gave us a hell of a game. Happy to be back in Wallace Wade after an extended absence, a big home crowd can be so important for this coming game. We will need the offense to have a much sharper COMPLETE game and not just be looking to be the better team in the 4th quarter.
VT had a bye week, and I'd bet my last dollar they have been practicing tons of running plays.
Duke is ranked 19th in both the AP and coaches polls.


Duke opened as a one TD favorite in Vegas, 10 minutes later it was down to two field goals...haha
Over/under is around 110. Sounds like they expect a shootout similar to the Pitt game.

[chrishoke]

That is laughable - take the under.

[Dev11]

Over/under is around 110. Sounds like they expect a shootout similar to the Pitt game.

Wasn't last year's game a 13-10 affair? 110 sounds a bit much. Then again, VT isn't nearly as good as they were last year.

Given the two programs' current trajectories, I wonder what the attendance breakdown will be at this game. VT normally brings a solid contingent to any road game within a day's drive of Blacksburg.

The (literal) home stretch begins this week for the chase to a second Coastal championship. The team was fired up after the fourth quarter they played yesterday, so hopefully that momentum carries into this week.

Health is key with a game 5 days after this one and hopefully 2 more Saturdays in a row after that before the next week off.

[AncientPsychicT]

Duke opened as a one TD favorite in Vegas, 10 minutes later it was down to two field goals...haha
Over/under is around 110. Sounds like they expect a shootout similar to the Pitt game.

That translates to a final score of 58-52, which is ridiculous. I agree with chrishoke, take the under, and then take it again.

[Mabdul Doobakus]

There's no way the over/under is 110. I think you're reading that wrong, or it's a typo.

[devildeac]

There's no way the over/under is 110. I think you're reading that wrong, or it's a typo.

Missing a decimal point? Duke wins 10-3? Or maybe 7-3? :rolleyes:

[CameronBornAndBred]

Wasn't last year's game a 13-10 affair?
That's the first thing I thought, but if we can't stop the run, and they can't stop much of anything, I could see it being high scoring. I still don't see over 100 points, not by a long shot.

[CameronBornAndBred]

There's no way the over/under is 110. I think you're reading that wrong, or it's a typo.
Mabdul is correct, my bad. The spread is there, they have not given the over/under yet. Will be interesting to see where they put it; I wouldn't bet over 50.

[Olympic Fan]

Duke has beaten Virginia Tech exactly once since they joined the ACC in 2004 -- 13-10 win last year.

Before that, they had won nine straight (2004-2012) -- and only one of those (a 14-10 VPI win in 2011) was by less than two scores.

So excuse me if I take them seriously. They are still a solid defense (better than us in almost every category, especially if you look at just ACC play). True, they have offensive problems and despite all the hype announcers still give them for "Beamer Ball", they are a middle of the ACC pack team in almost every kicking category.

They have been extremely vulnerable to the QB runs on the zone read ... I hope that's something we can exploit, but I suspect it's something they will give a lot of attention too.

I can't forget this is basically the same team that beat Ohio State in Columbus and dominated UNC in Chapel Hill. They are vulnerable, yes, but also very capable at times.

Big game -- I believe if we win this, we are a virtual lock to play in Charlotte.

[Duvall]

Big game -- I believe if we win this, we are a virtual lock to play in Charlotte.

Virtual lock is a bit strong the way Miami is playing. But I guess that's only an issue for about eight hours.

[Acymetric]

Virtual lock is a bit strong the way Miami is playing. But I guess that's only an issue for about eight hours.

I think the way Miami is playing is what makes it a "virtual" lock. I see them as the only real threat (due to us holding the tiebreaker over GT and a 2 game lead on anyone else). If Miami can't pull off the upset over FSU.. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuAZTWGfQTs)

[OldPhiKap]

This is an incredibly dangerous game. Agree with Oly 100%.

VT has not been consistent this year. But when they are good, they are more than capable. And they damn sure don't want to lose to Duke two years in a row.

They will be focused, and they have had a bye week to rest and prepare. And of course they hit hard, often, and sometimes late.

60 minutes, gentlemen. Every possession, every assignment. We need to execute better than we did in Syracuse to win this one.

All this happy big bowl talk and ranking chatter is fun, but it all goes away if we do not take care of business in November. As Cut said last year, each week in November is bigger than the one before. It is, perhaps, the greatest difference between college football and college basketball. Each regular season week takes on exponential importance.

Go Duke!

[johnb]

an exhaustive 3 minute search in the espn web site turned up the fact that Vatech recruited 24 4 star players in the past 4 years. They beat Ohio State, which may just make the playoffs. they creamed Carolina. They've had their ups and downs, but this is far from a done deal--my hunch is that the Hokies are thinking this is a mismatch the other way. I remain cautiously optimistic, but they have a roster full of talent that is matched on our schedule only by Miami (I'm guessing), and that didn't work out so well.

[martydoesntfoul]

OldPhiKap: 60 minutes, gentlemen. Every possession, every assignment. We need to execute better than we did in Syracuse to win this one.

Perfectly said. We haven't proven yet the ability to dominate opponents consistently. I'm still waiting for the O and the D to show up in force on the same day.

[tux]

Small point: It was senior day at Syracuse, a possible factor in the energy and focus they brought to the game.

Offensively, my biggest frustration: Despite having a very good OL --- we seem very reluctant to throw the ball down field. There's the occasional long pass, but I would have expected more crossing routes, etc. in the 10-20 yard range. We seem content to throw mostly screen passes and other very short routes. E.g., last Saturday, we had a 3rd and 8, and Boone threw a 6 yard out to Crowder, leading to a punt. Are our receivers having a hard time getting open or does the coaching staff not really trust Boone? (Thinking the loss of Deaver is really hurting our offensive punch...)

[roywhite]

Small point: It was senior day at Syracuse, a possible factor in the energy and focus they brought to the game.

Offensively, my biggest frustration: Despite having a very good OL --- we seem very reluctant to throw the ball down field. There's the occasional long pass, but I would have expected more crossing routes, etc. in the 10-20 yard range. We seem content to throw mostly screen passes and other very short routes. E.g., last Saturday, we had a 3rd and 8, and Boone threw a 6 yard out to Crowder, leading to a punt. Are our receivers having a hard time getting open or does the coaching staff not really trust Boone? (Thinking the loss of Deaver is really hurting our offensive punch...)

Yeah, I think you hit it with the loss of Deaver; a TE route down the seam is a great weapon, and we apparently don't have confidence in the current TEs to use that play very much; another factor on not throwing down the middle, certainly with Syracuse, was the number of pass attempts that were blocked at the line of scrimmage, some presumably intended for the middle of the field. One thing we still see is a fairly deep crossing route for Jamison Crowder, which can result in a 15 to 20 yard completion.

Big plus in the Syracuse game was the production of Isaac Blakeney, which would be very welcome from here on out. Another area with some success has been to throw to Shaun Wilson coming out of the backfield and give him some room to make tacklers miss. McCaffrey doesn't seem to be targeted much lately; not able to get separation?

Overall, wins over GaTech, Virginia, Pitt, and Syracuse add up to an impressive run; they're all decent to good (GaTech) teams in our conference, and we're beating them with solid play and a very low number of mistakes.

[AustinDevil]

Small point: It was senior day at Syracuse, a possible factor in the energy and focus they brought to the game.

Offensively, my biggest frustration: Despite having a very good OL --- we seem very reluctant to throw the ball down field. There's the occasional long pass, but I would have expected more crossing routes, etc. in the 10-20 yard range. We seem content to throw mostly screen passes and other very short routes. E.g., last Saturday, we had a 3rd and 8, and Boone threw a 6 yard out to Crowder, leading to a punt. Are our receivers having a hard time getting open or does the coaching staff not really trust Boone? (Thinking the loss of Deaver is really hurting our offensive punch...)

I agree totally with Senior Day as a factor this past Saturday, plus their backs to the wall in that the loss eliminated Syracuse from bowl eligibility. Virginia Tech is both on the road with Senior Day still ahead for them, and at 4-5 with Wake away and UVa at home coming up, they're hopefully thinking that even with a loss this week they can get bowl-eligible. But still an incredibly dangerous game from the series history and VPISU pride perspectives.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Small point: It was senior day at Syracuse, a possible factor in the energy and focus they brought to the game.

Offensively, my biggest frustration: Despite having a very good OL --- we seem very reluctant to throw the ball down field. There's the occasional long pass, but I would have expected more crossing routes, etc. in the 10-20 yard range. We seem content to throw mostly screen passes and other very short routes. E.g., last Saturday, we had a 3rd and 8, and Boone threw a 6 yard out to Crowder, leading to a punt. Are our receivers having a hard time getting open or does the coaching staff not really trust Boone? (Thinking the loss of Deaver is really hurting our offensive punch...)

There were more long passes in the Pitt game. Coach Cutcliffe has said that we can now make adjustments according to our opponent each week ... big change from the past!

[tux]

There were more long passes in the Pitt game. Coach Cutcliffe has said that we can now make adjustments according to our opponent each week ... big change from the past!

Yes, that is encouraging.

This team really needs to avoid 3rd and long. I guess all teams do, but we've been particularly bad at converting those this year. The good news is that we've, in general, been flagged for very few penalties, so we're avoiding 1st and 15s, 1st and 20s, etc. But, we need to get something positive out of 1st and 2nd down --- so I'm torn when we pass on 1st down, as it can be a good time to catch the defense off guard but an early incomplete pass often leads to a Duke punt.

Sorry if I'm just stating the obvious. I guess I would say that Boone and our receivers need to play better if we're going to win the next 3 at home. Our D has been mostly good enough to win, our kicking game has been exceptional, our OL and running backs have played well. Overall, very few mental mistakes and stupid penalties (something pre-Cut Duke was very good at). It's the passing game -- that I thought would be very good to great this year -- which has lagged behind. One possible explanation is that Boone is opting for safer throws in an attempt to limit costly turnovers; perhaps an (over)reaction to that 4th quarter INT against A&M last year. Not necessarily a bad strategy, but I was expecting more firepower from our 5th year senior QB. (BTW: Still love Boone --- we're 8-1 and he's a winner so I probably should just STHU)

[Reilly]

VT

+25 W&M
+18 Western Michigan
+17 @UNC
+14 @OSU
-----------------------------
-02 BC
-03 GT
-05 @Pitt
-07 ECU
-24 Miami

DUKE

+39 Elon
+38 Kansas
+34 Tulane
+17 @Troy
+17 @Syracuse
+07 Virginia
+06 @GT
+03 @Pitt
--------------------------
-12 @Miami

* VT is 4-5, but 0-4 in 1-score games. If those games break 2-2, they're 6-3. If Harrison Barnes made one more 3 pointer per game, his per game scoring average would've been 3 points higher.

* Duke is 8-1, and 3-0 in 1-score games.

Common opponents:

GT: VT lost by 3 at home; Duke won by 6 on the road
Pitt: VT lost by 5 on the road; Duke won by 3 on the road
Miami: VT lost by 24 at home; Duke lost by 12 on the road

[CameronBornAndBred]

VT will be down a starter. Jonathan McLaughlin, their starting right tackle is out for the year.

[BigWayne]

VT will be down a starter. Jonathan McLaughlin, their starting right tackle is out for the year.

Good article on this event which also runs down a lot of other VT injury info. (http://www.timesdispatch.com/sports/college/virginia-tech/hokies-lose-tackle-jonathan-mclaughlin-for-rest-of-season/article_9fc9589f-07c5-50e1-8be2-fb1799f91005.html)

[Reilly]

Good article on this event which also runs down a lot of other VT injury info. (http://www.timesdispatch.com/sports/college/virginia-tech/hokies-lose-tackle-jonathan-mclaughlin-for-rest-of-season/article_9fc9589f-07c5-50e1-8be2-fb1799f91005.html)

From the article: "At linebacker, senior Chase Williams (knee) has been out. His status for Saturday at Duke is still unclear, Beamer said."

Chase's dad is the defensive coordinator Gregg of the infamous locker room tape, where the dad talked about targeting certain players with injuries.

[sagegrouse]

From the article: "At linebacker, senior Chase Williams (knee) has been out. His status for Saturday at Duke is still unclear, Beamer said."

Chase's dad is the defensive coordinator Gregg of the infamous locker room tape, where the dad talked about targeting certain players with injuries.

That fact alone was enough for Beamer to offer him a scholarship.

[subzero02]

I don't know where the best place to post this would be but I wanted to let people know Pitt is a 2 point underdog at UNC .. I am baffled by this spread and bet the farm on the panthers... (it's an ant farm).

Also... Duke now stands as a 5.5 favorite over V. Tech. I am sure the confusion over the o/u came from misreading the -110 that generally accompanies the point spread. 110 is the amount that is risked in order to win 100 "credits" (ie 10 percent losers fee).

[Reilly]

VT's replacement at OT is a D3-transfer-ex-DL ....

http://www.roanoke.com/sports/colleges/va_tech/injury-issues-continue-to-grow-for-struggling-virginia-tech/article_7f67990f-921c-5a9a-b957-109d09ad963e.html

[Reilly]

VT has not had a 4-game losing streak since 1992. They're at 3 right now. They're fighting for a bowl. They've played better away from home.

http://touch.dailypress.com/#section/3035/article/p2p-81934602/

[MCFinARL]

VT has not had a 4-game losing streak since 1992. They're at 3 right now. They're fighting for a bowl. They've played better away from home.

http://touch.dailypress.com/#section/3035/article/p2p-81934602/

Yes--I think this is a very dangerous game for Duke (bold out-on-a-limb statement, I know). They are going to have to be focused and clicking on both offense and defense for the whole four quarters to win this one--a good half is not going to be enough.

[Potato Head]

I'm not even 100% comfortable calling Wake an automatic win at this point. Any Duke fan looking past Virginia Tech is crazy, I think.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Yes--I think this is a very dangerous game for Duke (bold out-on-a-limb statement, I know). They are going to have to be focused and clicking on both offense and defense for the whole four quarters to win this one--a good half is not going to be enough.

Maybe not a bold statement, but I put it in bold.

This is a very big game for Duke, make no mistake. If our team feels that we ought to be ranked higher and more in the conversation as far as the first college football playoff ever - this is how you do it. You have a quite capable team coming into your house this week. I would LOVE to see Duke make a statement and come out on fire. We seem to have made a habit in recent weeks of hanging around and waiting for the chance to strike and win the game. That's not going to cut it against a VaTech team that will be out for blood. Duke needs to come out of the gates guns blazing. If you go into the 4th quarter with the game close against the Hokies, your chances aren't good.

Let's find a good 60 minutes of solid football from whistle to gun! Let's go roast some turkeys!

[DukeSean]

I think only us fans are looking beyond VT. Don't think the staff is letting anyone look beyond the next game.

I would love to see us lay out the wood against VT and beat them badly, but it'll need an entire game of focus. The 0-6 stretch that Boone went through vs. Syracuse was a dangerous time. Can't have that against VT.

[Tripping William]

I think only us fans are looking beyond VT. Don't think the staff is letting anyone look beyond the next game.

And not even most of us fans, I would wager. Certainly can sleep on Beamer & Foster. I seem to recall a teevee broadcast or two mentioning that Frank makes a point to coach the Holie special teams himself ..... ;-)

Gonna take four quarters of solid ball to notch this win.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Following is a link to the team's motivational video viewed before the Syracuse game. Very well done.
http://vimeo.com/111482829

[Bob Green]

The over/under is currently 45.5 points in Vegas:

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-football/odds/las-vegas/

I'm leaning toward the under.

[Reilly]

Following is a link to the team's motivational video viewed before the Syracuse game. Very well done.
http://vimeo.com/111482829

Thanks. Especially cool is the footage of the team storming the field after the OT win at Pitt.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Thanks. Especially cool is the footage of the team storming the field after the OT win at Pitt.
The motivational videos are well done. They usually incorporate scenes from the previous game, highlighting successful plays as if to visualize them again and again. Many times what's highlighted is a visualization of what's being emphasized for the game they're about to play. The videos are beginning to incorporate scenes summarizing wins throughout the season... another good message set to music and repeated over and over.

[jv001]

Following is a link to the team's motivational video viewed before the Syracuse game. Very well done.
http://vimeo.com/111482829

Thanks for the link. Duke Football back to where it belongs and this video fired me up. Thank you Lord. GoDuke!

[budwom]

I don't know where the best place to post this would be but I wanted to let people know Pitt is a 2 point underdog at UNC .. I am baffled by this spread and bet the farm on the panthers... (it's an ant farm).

Also... Duke now stands as a 5.5 favorite over V. Tech. I am sure the confusion over the o/u came from misreading the -110 that generally accompanies the point spread. 110 is the amount that is risked in order to win 100 "credits" (ie 10 percent losers fee).


Reasonable line. Sagarin has the teams ranked very closely. UNC has a good offense, bad defense. Look for a high scoring game...I'd bet nothing on this game.

[OldPhiKap]

Reasonable line. Sagarin has the teams ranked very closely. UNC has a good offense, bad defense. Look for a high scoring game...I'd bet nothing on this game.

Agreed, that game is a toss-up with a slight nod to the home team. Should be an entertaining game to watch. Go Panthers.

[budwom]

If I'm not mistaken (and I often am), should Pitt beat the holes this weekend, we can end their bowl chances next week.

[devildeac]

If I'm not mistaken (and I often am), should Pitt beat the holes this weekend, we can end their bowl chances next week.

Sssshhhh...

No poultry enumerating. Yet. ;)

[tux]

Looks to be sunny but very cold this Saturday (high of 47, low of 29).

[killerleft]

Looks to be sunny but very cold this Saturday (high of 47, low of 29).

Ah, perfect football weather. 45-47 degrees will be fine with the barnburner of a game this one has the potential to be. I've been wanting to see us beat them in person for a long while now. Won't ever be forgetting the late hits VT made on Thad Lewis a few years ago.

Go Duke!!

[budwom]

I hear the concession stands will be selling bread and milk.....

[nyesq83]

We had a work hiatus that blew a hole in my discretionary budget. I will be rooting the team on from home. Enjoy. And see y'all for the ShouldawenttoHarvard game.

Btw, a local VT football sports commentator suggested that VT is going to need to play dirty early to stifle Duke. Sickening.

[devildeac]

We had a work hiatus that blew a hole in my discretionary budget. I will be rooting the team on from home. Enjoy. And see y'all for the ShouldawenttoHarvard game.

Btw, a local VT football sports commentator suggested that VT is going to need to play dirty early to stifle Duke. Sickening.

Do you think he was suggesting they start earlier than they usually do, perhaps before the coin toss?:rolleyes:

[OldPhiKap]

Do you think he was suggesting they start earlier than they usually do, perhaps before the coin toss?:rolleyes:

Maybe they won't shake our hands.

Nah. Who could be that classless and still be in the ACC?


Add "whoever Maryland is playing" to my list of teams to pull for Saturday.

[Henderson]

Maybe they won't shake our hands.

Nah. Who could be that classless and still be in the ACC?


Add "whoever Maryland is playing" to my list of teams to pull for Saturday.

Like Neil Young, a good Terp dig never gets old.

[devildeac]

Like Neil Young, a good Terp dig never gets old.

OPK is a wise fellow. Not only did he take my dig at "Beamer Ball" but also took my hint and applied it to our beloved (cough) departed "rivals" (double cough) for extra credit.;)

[-bdbd]

OPK is a wise fellow. Not only did he take my dig at "Beamer Ball" but also took my hint and applied it to our beloved (cough) departed "rivals" (double cough) for extra credit.;)

See if this doesn't sound familliar: In the "desperately yearning for respect" department, last week I caught the very end of the MD upset of PSU. A series where MD has won something like 10% of the match-ups. Anyway, in the post-game interview the MD Head Coach - really comes across as kinda goofy anyway - clearly was wanting to get something out. So, after the final question, while barely suppressing a giggle, he gives a perfunctory answer to the typical "What does this win mean for your team" sort of question, then hesitates, and then blurts out, "Let the RIVALRY begin..." Big grin, then rapidly turns and runs away.

Doesn't that just sound so very familliar Duke fans?? The Terps are once again just yearning for respect, and a rival. So much so that, once again, they unilaterally just announce one themselves. Similar to their "rivalry" with Duke, I imagine about 5% of PSU FB fans currently view them as their rival. But hey, this IS Maryland after all. Maybe they'll riot in CP after playing PSU in BB, win, lose or draw...... :rolleyes:

Some things NEVER change!

[MulletMan]

I think that everyone who thinks this game will be a cake walk should go back and look at what VPI did to Ohio State in the second week of the season. Foster blitzed the hell out of OSU's young QB TJ Barrett, and I think that he will try the same against Boone. The key to this game lies with our offensive line and blitz pick ups. We must give Boone time to make it to at least the second read on each play or we could be in for a very long day. Boone doesn't have to throw for 300 yards, but he will need to be effective enough to keep the defense honest and open up a little space for the running game. If not, we will spend the day with 8 VPI defenders in the box and Boone on his back on passing downs.

I think our O line is up to the task.

[Wander]

I think that everyone who thinks this game will be a cake walk should go back and look at what VPI did to Ohio State in the second week of the season. Foster blitzed the hell out of OSU's young QB TJ Barrett, and I think that he will try the same against Boone. The key to this game lies with our offensive line and blitz pick ups. We must give Boone time to make it to at least the second read on each play or we could be in for a very long day. Boone doesn't have to throw for 300 yards, but he will need to be effective enough to keep the defense honest and open up a little space for the running game. If not, we will spend the day with 8 VPI defenders in the box and Boone on his back on passing downs.

I think our O line is up to the task.

Fortunately our offensive line is possibly the strongest unit on our entire team. I don't think it will be a cake walk, but I think it's a reasonably favorable matchup for us.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Great piece on ESPN on how historically great our O-Line is...
(http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/77142/by-the-numbers-dukes-o-line)

...turn your attention from the skill positions, take a longer look at the offensive line, and you will find the secret to Duke’s success.

Here is perhaps the most striking statistic for any team this season: Duke, in 331 dropbacks this year, has allowed four sacks. Four.

[MChambers]

Maybe they won't shake our hands.

Nah. Who could be that classless and still be in the ACC?


Add "whoever Maryland is playing" to my list of teams to pull for Saturday.

I'm going, with relatives that are MSU grads and students. Anybody got a hard hat I can borrow?

[roywhite]

Great piece on ESPN on how historically great our O-Line is...
(http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/77142/by-the-numbers-dukes-o-line)

Yeah, was just going to post that same article.


This is really the beauty of what Duke has done the past few years. One of the worst programs in the country has become a consistent winner not by recruiting superstars or spending boatloads of cash, but rather by simply doing the little things well.

Duke has turned the ball over six times -- the fewest in the country.

Duke has a balanced offense, with a nearly perfect 50-50 split between passes and runs.

Duke is good on special teams, with two return TDs in the past two weeks and has the second-best starting field position margin among Power 5 teams.

Duke doesn’t give up big plays, allowing the 10th fewest of 20 yards or more among Power 5 teams.

And, of course, Duke’s offensive line is exceptional.

[gep]

WOW... does that speak to great coaching or what?!?!?!?!!!:cool:

[roywhite]

WOW... does that speak to great coaching or what?!?!?!?!!!:cool:

Yeah, makes you wonder if the conference, the national media, and the football coaches association have some rule about giving a Coach of the Year award to the same guy three years in a row?

[Bob Green]

Here is my stab at a game preview:

http://bluedevilnation.net/2014/11/preview-duke-vs-virginia-tech/

We must win the wide receiver/cornerback match-ups to force Virginia Tech to limit how many men they line up in the box. With Jamison Crowder and Issac Blakeney lining up outside, I am optimistic.

[The Gordog]

I'll be heading down to WW with my 12-year old son for the first time this year (sad that it's been so busy up til now.) Plus catching the basketball in the evening for a Duke double-header.

Looking forward to it - can't hardly work! :cool:

[Olympic Fan]

Here is my stab at a game preview:

http://bluedevilnation.net/2014/11/preview-duke-vs-virginia-tech/

We must win the wide receiver/cornerback match-ups to force Virginia Tech to limit how many men they line up in the box. With Jamison Crowder and Issac Blakeney lining up outside, I am optimistic.

On the other side, VPI has a legitimately great cover corner in sophomore Kendall Fuller -- probably the best cover guy in the ACC.

The other corner, whoever is there, is more vulnerable. They started the season with another great cover corner -- sophomore Brandon Facyson, but he was hurt preseason. After trying to play a couple of games, he was shut down for the season. With Fuller and Facyson, VPI probably had the best pair of cover corners in college football. As it now stands, they have one great one and one average corner.

[devildeac]

Here is my stab at a game preview:

http://bluedevilnation.net/2014/11/preview-duke-vs-virginia-tech/

We must win the wide receiver/cornerback match-ups to force Virginia Tech to limit how many men they line up in the box. With Jamison Crowder and Issac Blakeney lining up outside, I am optimistic.


On the other side, VPI has a legitimately great cover corner in sophomore Kendall Fuller -- probably the best cover guy in the ACC.

The other corner, whoever is there, is more vulnerable. They started the season with another great cover corner -- sophomore Brandon Facyson, but he was hurt preseason. After trying to play a couple of games, he was shut down for the season. With Fuller and Facyson, VPI probably had the best pair of cover corners in college football. As it now stands, they have one great one and one average corner.

Serious questions. (from me? really?) What do Cut and Scotty do to overcome VT if/when they put 8 in the box and have good DB coverage? More screens? More TE routes?

[peloton]

I'll be heading down to WW with my 12-year old son for the first time this year (sad that it's been so busy up til now.) Plus catching the basketball in the evening for a Duke double-header.

Looking forward to it - can't hardly work! :cool:

Gordog, you and your son have a safe trip down from VA, enjoy the game, and hopefully we'll play well enough to have some pre-Thanksgiving turkey. Although Beamer and Co. have their backs against the wall, their program has a lot of pride, and would love nothing more than to leave Durham with a win over the Coastal division leader. They're going to be mighty fired up after last season's loss to us and I'll be at the game also (freezing my posterior off I suspect...not a fan of cold weather). Especially with the cold, I suspect that I'm going to be pretty hoarse for the rest of the weekend...admittedly a small price to pay for cheering on the Blue Devils to victory. Let's come out being the aggressor and take it to the Hokies!

[Bob Green]

Serious questions. (from me? really?) What do Cut and Scotty do to overcome VT if/when they put 8 in the box and have good DB coverage? More screens? More TE routes?

Yes, more screens or the TE as you say. Additionally, dump it to the running back in the flat or on a wheel route if protection holds up. OL performance is going to be key.

[devildeac]

Yes, more screens or the TE as you say. Additionally, dump it to the running back in the flat or on a wheel route if protection holds up. OL performance is going to be key.

Thanks! Gives me tips what to watch for tomorrow.

[Bob Green]

4484

[DukeSean]

Yes, more screens or the TE as you say. Additionally, dump it to the running back in the flat or on a wheel route if protection holds up. OL performance is going to be key.

Considering that we had limited success using screens against Syracuse and their blitzing, what has to happen for these to be more effective against a pass rush like VTs? WRs being better at breaking tackles and/or beating their guy?

[Bob Green]

Considering that we had limited success using screens against Syracuse and their blitzing, what has to happen for these to be more effective against a pass rush like VTs? WRs being better at breaking tackles and/or beating their guy?

Yes, our wide receivers need to beat their cornerbacks one-on-one. And as Olympic Fan points out, Kendall Fuller is perhaps the best cover corner in the ACC. But Jamison Crowder and Issac Blakeney are not shabby. Crowder is All ACC and Blakeney is a tough match-up at 6'6" 225 with speed. Our wide receivers have been playing with banged up hands/fingers, but based on their performance against Syracuse I'm thinking their health has improved.

[DukeSean]

Yes, our wide receivers need to beat their cornerbacks one-on-one. And as Olympic Fan points out, Kendall Fuller is perhaps the best cover corner in the ACC. But Jamison Crowder and Issac Blakeney are not shabby. Crowder is All ACC and Blakeney is a tough match-up at 6'6" 225 with speed. Our wide receivers have been playing with banged up hands/fingers, but based on their performance against Syracuse I'm thinking their health has improved.

Matching Fuller against Crowder probably leaves an extra guy to help out against Blakeney. Either Crowder needs to be able to put Fuller in his place, or Blakeney will need to muscle his way to the ball. Which leaves McCaffery in line for a big role tomorrow.

But I agree with the idea to make a quick throw to Wilson out of the backfield and let him catch it with a running start. That could really help alleviate the D-line pressure (assuming our O-line can't handle it, which is a poor assumption) and set Wilson up for some big yardage.

[Reilly]

I think last year's win over VT is on espnU right now ...

Fight, fight Blue Devils ....

[bleudiable]

Yes, our wide receivers need to beat their cornerbacks one-on-one. And as Olympic Fan points out, Kendall Fuller is perhaps the best cover corner in the ACC. But Jamison Crowder and Issac Blakeney are not shabby. Crowder is All ACC and Blakeney is a tough match-up at 6'6" 225 with speed. Our wide receivers have been playing with banged up hands/fingers, but based on their performance against Syracuse I'm thinking their health has improved.

I'm really concerned that Boone had so many passes batted down last week. Our OL must create passing lanes for Ace to show him those short routes. If we can establish a strong run game early, the rush won't have the opportunity to get coordinated on play action.

[riverside6]

Live stats, play analysis, and more for Duke/Virginia Tech...

http://www.scacchoops.com/virginia-tech-at-duke-football-live-stats-11152014

[arnie]

We look dominant. Will 10 points win this game?

[davekay1971]

We look dominant. Will 10 points win this game?

Let's try to win the first quarter 17-0 and go from there. So far our guys look very, very good.

[bbosbbos]

This gonna be a >30 pt win. Their OL is so terrible.


We look dominant. Will 10 points win this game?

[davekay1971]

This gonna be a >30 pt win. Their OL is so terrible.

The football gods are displeased with you...

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Other than odd play call on 3rd down, you gotta like this start. Would love to see us make a statement today.

We look real good so far.

[Tripping William]

The football gods are displeased with you...

Not to mention the weauxfgods. Didn't Duke once lose to VPISU, in recent memory, after taking a 20-0 lead?

[duke09hms]

This gonna be a >30 pt win. Their OL is so terrible.

so foolish

[grossbus]

Boone off again.

[GGLC]

This gonna be a >30 pt win. Their OL is so terrible.

Why why why

[arnie]

Boone off again.

Could be a 98 yd drive if we don't stiffen .

[duke09hms]

This gonna be a >30 pt win. Their OL is so terrible.

OL pushing us back at will now, great.

[Mabdul Doobakus]

We've dominated this game for the most part, but the score differential isn't as large as it probably should be. The Boone interception came on a particularly bad throw on a first down well into Va Tech territory.

Va Tech is starting to move the ball effectively. We blew the opportunity to really take control of this game early. Hope it doesn't come back to bite us.

[Mabdul Doobakus]

Poor play on the ball in the end zone by Borders. A 98 yard drive is troubling.

[duke09hms]

Huge opportunity lost to go up by 3 scores. VT drove 98 yds at will, and now we're in a 10-7 dogfight.

[Mabdul Doobakus]

Boone looks pretty bad right now.

[grossbus]

Another overthrow on a potential TD.

[arnie]

Boone looks pretty bad right now.

Definitely the BadBoone in 2nd quarter. Got to turn it around in 2nd half

[grossbus]

They are stacking up against the run on first down. Got to hit the first down pass.

[DukeGrad]

Did the refs just blow that fumble call? I didn't see any forward progress whatsoever.

[JetpackJesus]

Did the refs just blow that fumble call? I didn't see any forward progress whatsoever.

I definitely think they blew it.

[JetpackJesus]

Now that was forward progress being stopped on that 4th down.

[DukeGrad]

I definitely think they blew it.

Well, great 4th down stop at least!

[mattman91]

Someone enlighten me...was that Martin's first miss of the season?

[arnie]

Definitely the BadBoone in 2nd quarter. Got to turn it around in 2nd half

Seems like his timing with Barnes is always way off. Can recall a number of passes to Barnes way overthrown.

[JetpackJesus]

What is up with this ref? That was a great defensive play.

[JetpackJesus]

Someone enlighten me...was that Martin's first miss of the season?

According to the announcers it was his first miss.

[Dukehky]

Boone has to tighten up in the second half. He was bad in the second quarter and not great in the first, at least on long throws.

[GGLC]

Good thing we're going to win by 30+.

Sigh.

[grossbus]

What happened to those option runs that were so succesful in the first half. Defense is cramming the middle. Should be there.

[NYBri]

Not a good game for Boone.

[davekay1971]

Dave Cutcliff has large onions. 4th down call was a big one.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Dave Cutcliff has large onions. 4th down call was a big one.

That was... amazing

[NYBri]

Crowder limped off.

[arnie]

Crowder limped off.

That's a problem. But we have a great kicker!

[arnie]

That's a problem. But we have a great kicker!

Great D. Didn't think that would be our strength today.

[davekay1971]

Yes! Borders is awesome. Now lets try to punch this is for a touchdown and get some real control of this game.

[davekay1971]

Yes! Borders is awesome. Now lets try to punch this is for a touchdown and get some real control of this game.

Or not

[dukelifer]

Yes! Borders is awesome. Now lets try to punch this is for a touchdown and get some real control of this game.

At least the D held to a FG

[fisheyes]

All VaTech points off TOs. Didn't expect that. Let's buckle down offense!

[CDu]

Boone struggling today. Otherwise this game would not be close.

[nyesq83]

Gotta protect the ball and not give them confidence

[NYBri]

Boone struggling today. Otherwise this game would not be close.

Poor execution and decision making. Need him to step up here.

[wilson]

Boone struggling today. Otherwise this game would not be close.Agreed.
Max McCaffrey might have just made the defensive play of the game.

[NYBri]

Gotta protect the ball and not give them confidence

On cue.

[arnie]

Gotta protect the ball and not give them confidence

Not Duke football today

[grossbus]

Oh for pete's sake!

[grossbus]

How can you not have that covered. This is looking more and more like the Miami game.

[NYBri]

Turnovers.

Disaster 3 and 8 play.

[grossbus]

Favorite receiver uncovered. Geez

[NYBri]

How many times does Hodges need to kill us before we cover the dude?

[Tripping William]

Gut-check time. Ol' Mo is all with the Hokies at the moment.

[NYBri]

Defense needs a play.

[grossbus]

Stupid stupid stupid.

Lucky not roughing.

Defense may need to score.

[NYBri]

Boone totally out of sync.

[grossbus]

Need three and out right now.

[ice-9]

Strange fake punt decision. Gives us a chance.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

What a strange game. At least we will get our shot!

[CDu]

Strange call by VT there. Punt it deep on 4th and 18. Hopefully we can take advantage of that brain fart.

[arnie]

Strange call by VT there. Punt it deep on 4th and 18. Hopefully we can take advantage of that brain fart.

Can Martin save us?

[bleedingblue88]

LOL VTech trying to give us this game, I love it

[redick4pres]

Can Martin save us?

I'd rather punch it into the end zone. Eh???

[grossbus]

We need more yards.

[HK Dukie]

I'd rather punch it into the end zone. Eh???

agreed

[redick4pres]

There's still plenty of time for them. We need to pick up the first down and run some more clock!

[bleedingblue88]

Strange playcall for 3rd down, up to Martin now.

[redick4pres]

Choked!

[Karl Beem]

Awful game.

[NYBri]

Terrible game.

[bleedingblue88]

Orange Bowl in our hands, but we letting it slip away.

[arnie]

Orange Bowl in our hands, but we letting it slip away.

Self destructed - but ok if we can beat the Heels Thursday.

[grossbus]

They blitzed the same guy three times in a row and we didn't block him once.

[Karl Beem]

Just awful. Today's team shouldn't get a bowl game.

[A-Tex Devil]

Did Andre Maginot replace John Latina after the first quarter?

[ice-9]

Painful. With Clemson losing all we had to do was hold serve to secure the Orange bowl.

[bleedingblue88]

The Gods were handing us opportunity after opportunity last 5 minutes and we couldn't deliver. There goes Top 25 and likely the Orange Bowl.

[duke09hms]

Defense came to play today. Only gave up a bad 98 yd. drive for TD. Offense and special teams cost us the game. 3 TOs, 8 penalties, and 2 missed FGs. Kills me that we gave the win away, especially after VT seemed like they wanted us to win.

Hope Martin can pick himself up mentally from the loss. 1st FG miss was fine, a 50+ yder, but geeez man, the 39 yd miss ... ouch.

Now UNC is driving on Pitt for the game-winning score. It's going to be another tough game on Thursday.

[duke09hms]

This game perfectly illustrates why the win-loss metric is meaningless for QBs.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Why did we go away from the option?

We had lots of missed opportunities today. Disappointing loss.

[Devilwin]

The team that showed up today won't beat UNC . First of three at home and we get this? Cut was out coached. Too conservative. Too many turnovers. Poor clock management. The team we saw today will be lucky to win one more game. Stupid penalties too. Boone was horrible, but he had pressure most of the game, but no excuse at all for that first pick. He had all day and made a bad choice. Basketball team awesome last night.:mad:

[duke09hms]

We had lots of missed opportunities today. Disappointing loss.

Disappointing doesn't even begin to describe the loss. Our positive momentum as a program is so fragile, and right when we're starting to gain some legitimacy, we snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. VT was trying to let us win at the end with their stupid fake punt and personal foul. Unfortunately we played just as stupid as they did. When there's still a raw talent gap between teams, we cannot play down to their level!

So disappointing.

[dukelifer]

The Gods were handing us opportunity after opportunity last 5 minutes and we couldn't deliver. There goes Top 25 and likely the Orange Bowl.

Wow- how often have those words been written. Duke lost a close game that they had many chances to win. Duke won one of those and now lost one. Time to regroup.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Wow- how often have those words been written. Duke lost a close game that they had many chances to win. Duke won one of those and now lost one. Time to regroup.

Fair point, but as noted above, Duke football has a very tenuous thread in the national awareness. I guarantee we drop out of the Top 25 and probably won't sniff it again unless we beat FSU, in which case it will cement the national impression that FSU is underrated and the ACC is terrible.

[nyesq83]

Ross Martin was the difference today, but still love him.

[duke09hms]

This gonna be a >30 pt win. Their OL is so terrible.

This was the turning point lol.

Well at least now the Pinstripe Bowl might be convenient for us NE Dukies.

[nmduke2001]

I don't know if I've ever been so mad after a football loss.

A few things I thought were interesting:
1. The refs missed the fumble call. The play was not blown dead on the field, so they can't make that ruling over replay.

2. I'm pretty the VT field goal was no good. The replays made it look like it missed right.

3. I miss Renfree. Boone was just awful today. He missed at least 4 passes that would have gone for big yards or even touchdowns.

[Potato Head]

Ross Martin was the difference today, but still love him.

I agree, without him it would have been a much more decisive Tech win.

[WV_Iron_Duke]

Really tough loss. But correct me if I am wrong. If we beat the heels and the Deacons don't we go the Championship game vs FSU if the u loses tonite?
First tiebreaker is head-to-head.
The Orange Bowl talk was a bit of a stretch. I saw Duke beat Nebraska 34-7 in 1955. We won most likely because OU couldn't go two years in a row at that time.

[duke09hms]

I agree, without him it would have been a much more decisive Tech win.

Not sure if serious. Definitely a team loss given our offense, playcalling, and special teams, but that 39 yd miss was heartbreaking. Giving me flashbacks to Snyderwine and "old" Duke.

[Potato Head]

Not sure if serious. Definitely a team loss given our offense, playcalling, and special teams, but that 39 yd miss was heartbreaking. Giving me flashbacks to Snyderwine and "old" Duke.

He had a bad miss by his standards from a distance half of the kickers in the NCAA would have struggled with, and also missed from a distance 75% of NCAA kickers wouldn't have even been allowed to try. For his first two misses of the season. He also still single handedly outscored the rest of our offense. He's not the last person I would blame for this loss, but he's close the end of the list.

[Tripping William]

The football gods often gaze with a mischievous grin. Sometimes they are unbelievably generous, and sometimes they are just downright cruel. Duke has experienced both within a very short timeframe.

[dukelifer]

The football gods often gaze with a mischievous grin. Sometimes they are unbelievably generous, and sometimes they are just downright cruel. Duke has experienced both within a very short timeframe.

Exactly. Duke should have lost at Pitt. The record would be the same. Duke had chances today - but execution was poor. Short week to get ready for another tough game.

[TheDevilMadeMeDoIt]

I don't know if I've ever been so mad after a football loss.

A few things I thought were interesting:
1. The refs missed the fumble call. The play was not blown dead on the field, so they can't make that ruling over replay.

2. I'm pretty the VT field goal was no good. The replays made it look like it missed right.

3. I miss Renfree. Boone was just awful today. He missed at least 4 passes that would have gone for big yards or even touchdowns.

I went back and rewatched the first quarter. We came out to play. We had all the momentum and then Va tech picked it up and we didn't. Then Va tech tried to give us the game at the end with stupid plays. I hope the players are as disgusted as the fans. I am traveling 650 miles to see the last two games. I am always afraid of Carolina, but I do know we will be better coached. I watched Fedora go for 2 on their second touchdown, and all I could think is this guy is the worst coach I have ever seen. I was praying for them to lose by 1 at the end but Pitt's defense couldn't get the job done.
I hate rooting for the felons, but I have to tonight so we can still win the Coastal.
Sorry for the rambling but today' game is just too reminiscent of all those frustrating years we suffered before Coach Cut.

[Duvall]

Not sure if serious. Definitely a team loss given our offense, playcalling, and special teams, but that 39 yd miss was heartbreaking. Giving me flashbacks to Snyderwine and "old" Duke.

I think you missed the worst of the "old" Duke.

[duke09hms]

I think you missed the worst of the "old" Duke.

Not really relevant, but I was there for the 2 wins in 3 seasons before Cutcliffe, and watching us snatch defeat from the jaws of victory was reminiscent of "old" Duke for me.

Ross unfortunately reminded me of Snyderwine today. Great kickers who set the bar high due to excellent performances such that each miss is all the more surprising/heartbreaking.

[Devilwin]

We gotta do better against UNC and Wake. No turnovers, please! The missed fumble call hurt, and the phantom pass interference call. And, we needed to run the option more. Liked Sirk throwing the pass, that fooled them. But this is one time I saw Cutcliffe make no adjustments at all. We're better than this, and it's time to show it.

[Richard Berg]

Well, I guess that makes up for Pitt. Here's to an easy bowl opponent.

[devildeac]

Talked to one of the players after the game from the 1989 team. He was in total disagreement with the play calling and execution on our next to last series, basically playing for the FG with over 2 min remaining. I think we gained 7-8 yards on 3 running plays up the middle or close to it with the last two plays netting about 2-3 yds after Boone's 5-6 yard run to start that series. He also didn't have too many kind words about the offense, special teams or play calling for most of the remainder of the game either. I thought we played reasonably well defensively (how many sacks?) except for the 98 yard drive but made far too many mistakes with interceptions, a fumble, several costly penalties, drops/overthrows, pretty ineffective special teams and some real head scratchers with play calling. Very disheartening to lose this one.

[uh_no]

Talked to one of the players after the game from the 1989 team. He was in total disagreement with the play calling and execution on our next to last series, basically playing for the FG with over 2 min remaining. I think we gained 7-8 yards on 3 running plays up the middle or close to it with the last two plays netting about 2-3 yds after Boone's 5-6 yard run to start that series. He also didn't have too many kind words about the offense, special teams or play calling for most of the remainder of the game either. I thought we played reasonably well defensively (how many sacks?) except for the 98 yard drive but made far too many mistakes with interceptions, a fumble, several costly penalties, drops/overthrows, pretty ineffective special teams and some real head scratchers with play calling. Very disheartening to lose this one.
The penalties are new...but the inconsistent offense had been a theme....uva, cuse, miami, and now vt. I'm not sure what it is, but it's a fat cry from last year's show we regularly got. I'm not sure any one can be blamed per se...but that doesn't mean I can't be disappointed

[devildeac]

The penalties are new...but the inconsistent offense had been a theme....uva, cuse, miami, and now vt. I'm not sure what it is, but it's a fat cry from last year's show we regularly got. I'm not sure any one can be blamed per se...but that doesn't mean I can't be disappointed

Roper? (covers, ducks, runs:o)

[Bob Green]

A frustrating loss today due to turnovers, missed opportunities and a little bad luck:

1. Boone's tipped passes at the line of scrimmage finally bite us in the butt.
2. There were receivers who had beat coverage and were open deep but Boone overthrew them.
3. Blakeney dropped a pass on skinny slant with the whole middle of the field empty in front of him.
4. Martin misses two field goals after being perfect all season.

In the end, we lost a game we should have won, but we are 8-2 so I'm going to keep my whining to a minimum. Next game!

[Wander]

Not really relevant, but I was there for the 2 wins in 3 seasons before Cutcliffe, and watching us snatch defeat from the jaws of victory was reminiscent of "old" Duke for me.

The "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory thing" is a common meme for old Duke, but the truth is that old Duke more often than not got beat down almost all the time by good teams (and average teams, and bad teams...).

The loss today was super disappointing. I totally get that it's frustrating to think what we could do with a really good quarterback. But back-to-back 10-2 seasons are still in reach, and Cutcliffe doing that at Duke would still be one of the greatest accomplishments in the last decade of college football.

[FerryFor50]

A frustrating loss today due to turnovers, missed opportunities and a little bad luck:

1. Boone's tipped passes at the line of scrimmage finally bite us in the butt.
2. There were receivers who had beat coverage and were open deep but Boone overthrew them.
3. Blakeney dropped a pass on skinny slant with the whole middle of the field empty in front of him.
4. Martin misses two field goals after being perfect all season.

In the end, we lost a game we should have won, but we are 8-2 so I'm going to keep my whining to a minimum. Next game!

As others have mentioned, it's kind of karmic payback for the Pitt game, where one of the best kickers in the ACC missed a chippie that would have won it.

The good news from this? This headline:

4490

Never did I think we'd ever see the words "Virginia Tech upsets Duke" in anything other than a basketball context.

More unfortunate is that GT won against Clemson, due to an injury to Clemson's freshman QB phenom. Now the division is wide open again. Can't have more slip ups.

[Mabdul Doobakus]

I'm glad I wasn't able to watch most of this game. Only caught the first twenty minutes or so, and even then, even when Duke was up 10-0, we had already blown multiple opportunities to take control of the game. Then I was following the game on my phone, and it was one forehead slap after another. It took a lot to lose this game, and given how well we've managed to limit our mistakes over the last 2 years or so, it's frankly shocking that we mangled this opportunity so badly.

I went into this year thinking Boone was a strength. I hate to say it, but his bad games this year have far outnumbered his good games. It's kind of bizarre that Duke is 8-2 with QB play that has been mediocre at best. Shows how much this program has grown, I guess. It also makes me feel better about next year...I don't know who's going to be playing QB next year, but I can't imagine it will be much of a drop off.

Now I'm settling into watch the Miami game, which I'm kind of conflicted about. I grew up a Hurricanes fan, so there's really no way I can root for FSU tonight, but at least I can console myself after the game if Miami loses, knowing that Duke is still in the driver's seat.

[duke09hms]

The penalties are new...but the inconsistent offense had been a theme....uva, cuse, miami, and now vt. I'm not sure what it is, but it's a fat cry from last year's show we regularly got. I'm not sure any one can be blamed per se...but that doesn't mean I can't be disappointed

Well it is Scottie Montgomery's first year as OC. Some growing pains are to be expected.

Just so disappointing how we lost. It's one thing to lose simply from being outclassed (FSU) or the other team just making great plays (TxAM), but to give it away when the other team was begging to let us win ... just don't know how many opportunities like this will come around. Positive momentum around our program is so vital yet fragile.

[barely]

I don't like criticizing one player, particularly one who seems to be a great kid and a great leader, but you can't talk about this loss without focusing on Boone. After an impressive first quarter, he was awful and it is not like we haven't seen this before this year (and last). Va Tech was all over it as well - their smart defensive game plan was to pack the box and make us pass. We were never going to run on Tech until we proved that we could pass and we never did that. Am I the only person who saw this? Boone didn't have an errant throw or two: he was way, way off on a regular basis. Even some of his completions were pretty ugly passes. Crowder in particular saved him on several ocassions. This is a seriuos question: is Sirk so bad that we wouldn't have been better off to give him some opportunity today? Even if he and Boone were a wash on their passing competency, Sirk is a much better runner. I was so frustrated watching this game and no one can argue now that Boone's performance today was an outlier - he's only had a couple good games this year. We've won despite him, but because of him. It worries me for next year because I have to assume that Sirk is not ready to play and not an option. We can only hope that Pierre or Lloyd is the real deal. Especially frustrating was watching Boone missing the quick slants to Blakeney. Blakeney is 6'6" and Boone was throwing the ball out of reach on an 8-10 yard pass. I love Cut and the team, but you'd have to be blind not to see this. It was frustrating to watch.

[duke09hms]

I don't like criticizing one player, particularly one who seems to be a great kid and a great leader, but you can't talk about this loss without focusing on Boone. After an impressive first quarter, he was awful and it is not like we haven't seen this before this year (and last). Va Tech was all over it as well - their smart defensive game plan was to pack the box and make us pass. We were never going to run on Tech until we proved that we could pass and we never did that. Am I the only person who saw this? Boone didn't have an errant throw or two: he was way, way off on a regular basis. Even some of his completions were pretty ugly passes. Crowder in particular saved him on several ocassions. This is a seriuos question: is Sirk so bad that we wouldn't have been better off to give him some opportunity today? Even if he and Boone were a wash on their passing competency, Sirk is a much better runner. I was so frustrated watching this game and no one can argue now that Boone's performance today was an outlier - he's only had a couple good games this year. We've won despite him, but because of him. It worries me for next year because I have to assume that Sirk is not ready to play and not an option. We can only hope that Pierre or Lloyd is the real deal. Especially frustrating was watching Boone missing the quick slants to Blakeney. Blakeney is 6'6" and Boone was throwing the ball out of reach on an 8-10 yard pass. I love Cut and the team, but you'd have to be blind not to see this. It was frustrating to watch.

but he's 18-3 in the regular season!

[johnb]

Boone has never been reliable making vertical precision passes, but it's not like he isn't putting forth the effort. It reminds me of Paulus not having defensive foot speed. Well, that's true, but it's not like he wouldn't prefer to have defensive foot speed. In both cases, they are elite athletes laying it on the line for Dule, their teammates, and themselves. If we'd made the field goal, we'd be golden despite a rocky game.

I don't know about the play calling. We've been exceptional at putting our guys in position to win, and we did flail today. Vatech had lots of injuries, and one might think we could exploit that, but they still have two dozen 4 star recruits, and they did beat Ohio State, so--like Miami--their overall talent contributed to us not looking all that great.

Don't we have a game on Thursday? gthc.

[Devilwin]

I don't like criticizing one player, particularly one who seems to be a great kid and a great leader, but you can't talk about this loss without focusing on Boone. After an impressive first quarter, he was awful and it is not like we haven't seen this before this year (and last). Va Tech was all over it as well - their smart defensive game plan was to pack the box and make us pass. We were never going to run on Tech until we proved that we could pass and we never did that. Am I the only person who saw this? Boone didn't have an errant throw or two: he was way, way off on a regular basis. Even some of his completions were pretty ugly passes. Crowder in particular saved him on several ocassions. This is a seriuos question: is Sirk so bad that we wouldn't have been better off to give him some opportunity today? Even if he and Boone were a wash on their passing competency, Sirk is a much better runner. I was so frustrated watching this game and no one can argue now that Boone's performance today was an outlier - he's only had a couple good games this year. We've won despite him, but because of him. It worries me for next year because I have to assume that Sirk is not ready to play and not an option. We can only hope that Pierre or Lloyd is the real deal. Especially frustrating was watching Boone missing the quick slants to Blakeney. Blakeney is 6'6" and Boone was throwing the ball out of reach on an 8-10 yard pass. I love Cut and the team, but you'd have to be blind not to see this. It was frustrating to watch.

I agree with you for the most part. On the other hand, maybe Sirk is not quite ready. I saw film of him at a quarterback camp, and he has a great arm, throwing accurate passes up to 60 yards. Boone does struggle at times, but his record as a starter speaks for itself. The first pick Boone threw was just plain bone headed. He wasn't being pressured, had all day, and made an extremely poor choice trying to force it to Crowder. But this game I feel was just a fluke. Martin never misses two attempts in a game. We rarely turn the ball over. Then there's the two obviously blown calls, the fumble we recovered and didn't get, and the phantom pass interference call. Also, I think our play calling was poor, running up the gut time after time when we needed to spread Tech out.
Anyway, "Thug U" took care of Miami last night. Now all we must do is beat Carolina and Wake, and the title is ours! Again! We hold our destiny in our hands.
We must recall that just a few short years ago that Duke winning any kind of football title was just a pipe dream. Let's stay positive, and beat UNC!!!!!!!

[devildeac]

And 4 of the teams ranked just above us, Nebraska, ND, LSU and Clemson, lost yesterday. So much for movin' on up a spot or two. Sigh.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

but he's 18-3 in the regular season!

This, exactly. How do you bench the most successful Duke QB since....? Help me out here...

[Wander]

but he's 18-3 in the regular season!

But every single player on the Duke team has an amazing regular season record. So this logic implies that Duke is fantastic at every single position. Thad Lewis was I think 10-38 and was a far superior player to Boone.

Just to be clear, I'm not in favor of benching him. I think he gives us the best chance to win this season, and to me we're nowhere near far enough away from the 0-12 seasons to be too annoyed at things like this. But I think it's OK to say quarterback play is not a strength of the team.

[duke4ever19]

Way off topic here, but...

The title of the article about the loss says, "The Near Miss," which is supposed to be a reference about the missed field goal. I've always understood "near miss" to mean something like, "We almost missed the exit, but we made the turn just in time. It was a near miss." It's used to describe something that almost happens but doesn't.

Have I been using this incorrectly my whole life? Of course, no offense is intended to the article's eloquent author (I love Jim Sumner articles).

[duke09hms]

This, exactly. How do you bench the most successful Duke QB since....? Help me out here...

I was being sarcastic. The win-loss metric for QBs is way overrated. He's a capable game manager and a great leader, but an accurate QB that can win games on his own? I don't think so. Compared to Thad Lewis and Sean Renfree, Boone is the beneficiary of a stronger offensive line, exponentially better run game, and a stouter defense.

Thad Lewis put up big passing numbers with virtually no time to throw and plays on Sundays. My dream would be this team with Thad at the controls, definitely title contenders right there.

[roywhite]

Frustrating game; so many chances to win and couldn't quite do it.

My .02 -- the main thing lacking for this team is lack of talent and playmakers at receiver (other than Crowder, of course); either they don't get open or they don't make somewhat difficult catches when they are open. No real receiving threat at TE and the RBs are not good receivers either (Shaun Wilson may be at some point).

Yeah, Boone is not the most accurate thrower, but his numbers would look better (and Duke would score more) if his receivers were better.

That said, don't see a reason we can't beat UNC and Wake Forest; another 10-2 regular season would be great, and on to the post-season.

[duke09hms]

Maybe the pregame video wasn't motivating enough.

[DukeDevil]

Way off topic here, but...

The title of the article about the loss says, "The Near Miss," which is supposed to be a reference about the missed field goal. I've always understood "near miss" to mean something like, "We almost missed the exit, but we made the turn just in time. It was a near miss." It's used to describe something that almost happens but doesn't.

Have I been using this incorrectly my whole life? Of course, no offense is intended to the article's eloquent author (I love Jim Sumner articles).

You are correct, a near miss is where you almost miss/make a mistake but correct just in time. I think it's just being used as a play on words (ie: it was a miss that was nearly on)

[DukeDevil]

But every single player on the Duke team has an amazing regular season record. So this logic implies that Duke is fantastic at every single position. Thad Lewis was I think 10-38 and was a far superior player to Boone.

Just to be clear, I'm not in favor of benching him. I think he gives us the best chance to win this season, and to me we're nowhere near far enough away from the 0-12 seasons to be too annoyed at things like this. But I think it's OK to say quarterback play is not a strength of the team.

I agree. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for Boone and I support him all the way, but he occasionally has these games where he is just OFF (see out losses this year). Receivers had their protection beat repeatedly this game, and balls were over/underthrown repeatedly. I think it would be helpful to have spells where we shift to Sirk to change the pace of the game and see if we can get Boone's head off the mistakes and back into form. I saw the game as turning down when he underthrew that pass to what would have been a touchdown catch by Crowder, followed closely by the INT at the goal line pass. Why not try going to a shorter pass/run game with Sirk, give Boone some one on one time with the coach or on his own on the sideline to get his head straight, then bring him back in?

I'm sure Cut knowns what he's doing, and that's why it's us posting on the DBR boards and not him, but I would love to have changed it up if for no other reason than to try change up the pace of the game.

[94duke]

Way off topic here, but...

The title of the article about the loss says, "The Near Miss," which is supposed to be a reference about the missed field goal. I've always understood "near miss" to mean something like, "We almost missed the exit, but we made the turn just in time. It was a near miss." It's used to describe something that almost happens but doesn't.

Have I been using this incorrectly my whole life? Of course, no offense is intended to the article's eloquent author (I love Jim Sumner articles).

You are correct, a near miss is where you almost miss/make a mistake but correct just in time. I think it's just being used as a play on words (ie: it was a miss that was nearly on)

Near miss... "An attempt that is almost successful." (link below)
A near miss is still a miss. For a car accident, it's an accident that almost happened. In the military a bomb or missile that is a near miss is still close enough to cause damage, even though it didn't actually hit the target. For a FG attempt, a near miss would be just that, a miss that was very close.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/near%20miss

[jimsumner]

Just for purposes of clarity, I don't come up with the headlines. So if you like them, don't give me the credit. If you don't, . . .

Back to the game. No doubt Boone was pretty shaky. In my notes I wrote "Boone unravels in the second period." He never really re-raveled.

I don't place much of the blame on the receivers. Boone did make some shaky throws under duress. especially late. But without watching the film--I recorded the game but may not have the heart to actually watch it--it seemed to me that most of his misses were without undue pressure. He just made some really bad passes to really open receivers.

But it was the decision making that troubles me. Boone has been remarkably adept at risk management this season. But the pick that started the second period was on a throw that had no chance of completion. It should never have been thrown. It was a freshman mistake by a redshirt senior.

And that play was a huge momentum changer. Duke absolutely had Tech ready for the knock out blow. if I could arrange for one do-over from yesterday, it would be that play not the missed field goal.

I've always adhered to the adage that quarterbacks get too much credit when things are going well and too much blame when things aren't. Boone wasn't on the field when VT drove 98 yards for a score, he wasn't on the field when Martin missed a very makeable field goal, he wasn't on the field when Edwards coughed up a kickoff.

It's not all on him and I do not think Duke has a Plan B for this season. I confess I did openly miss Brandon Connette yesterday. He would have been a Plan B. Of course, I understand and fully support his reasons for transferring. But one wonders.

Cut is an expert in Coachspeak and he said all the right things last night after the game. But he also candidly acknowledged that Duke's passing game left points on the field and I do not think he was talking about the receivers.

But next play and next play is pretty big. The dream of the Orange Bowl is likely gone but two wins and Duke is going to Charlotte again. It's a short week and Duke has to put this one in the rear-view mirror and get ready to meet a surging arch-rival who would love nothing more than to derail Duke's title dreams. Duke isn't going to beat Carolina with one touchdown and they aren't going to score more than that without a better Anthony Boone, a much better Anthony Boone.

Here's to better days for Mr. Boone.

[OldPhiKap]

Just for purposes of clarity, I don't come up with the headlines. So if you like them, don't give me the credit. If you don't, . . .

Back to the game. No doubt Boone was pretty shaky. In my notes I wrote "Boone unravels in the second period." He never really re-raveled.

I don't place much of the blame on the receivers. Boone did make some shaky throws under duress. especially late. But without watching the film--I recorded the game but may not have the heart to actually watch it--it seemed to me that most of his misses were without undue pressure. He just made some really bad passes to really open receivers.

But it was the decision making that troubles me. Boone has been remarkably adept at risk management this season. But the pick that started the second period was on a throw that had no chance of completion. It should never have been thrown. It was a freshman mistake by a redshirt senior.

And that play was a huge momentum changer. Duke absolutely had Tech ready for the knock out blow. if I could arrange for one do-over from yesterday, it would be that play not the missed field goal.

I've always adhered to the adage that quarterbacks get too much credit when things are going well and too much blame when things aren't. Boone wasn't on the field when VT drove 98 yards for a score, he wasn't on the field when Martin missed a very makeable field goal, he wasn't on the field when Edwards coughed up a kickoff.

It's not all on him and I do not think Duke has a Plan B for this season. I confess I did openly miss Brandon Connette yesterday. He would have been a Plan B. Of course, I understand and fully support his reasons for transferring. But one wonders.

Cut is an expert in Coachspeak and he said all the right things last night after the game. But he also candidly acknowledged that Duke's passing game left points on the field and I do not think he was talking about the receiwvers.

But next play and next play is pretty big. The dream of the Orange Bowl is likely gone but two wins and Duke is going to Charlotte again. It's a short week and Duke has to put this one in the rear-view mirror and get ready to meet a surging arch-rival who would love nothing more than to derail Duke's title dreams. Duke isn't going to beat Carolina with one touchdown and they aren't going to score more than that without a better Anthony Boone, a much better Anthony Boone.

Here's to better days for Mr. Boone.

To me, the deep pick was not the real momentum killer because it pinned VT to the two yard line. It was when VT hit the third and long pass on the subsequent drive, left side line, that made the big difference. But Boone clearly under threw and/or tried to hit a post route that was extremely well-covered.

The second pick by the lineman -- that was a back breaker although again not sure how much of that was simply a very good defensive scheme. We sure seemed to be third and long all damn day.

The two intentional grounding plays, and the missed/dropped slants that kept us third and long all day, well -- I imagine those are being addressed as we all type.

[DukeDevil]

Near miss... "An attempt that is almost successful." (link below)
A near miss is still a miss. For a car accident, it's an accident that almost happened. In the military a bomb or missile that is a near miss is still close enough to cause damage, even though it didn't actually hit the target. For a FG attempt, a near miss would be just that, a miss that was very close.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/near%20miss

": an attempt that is almost successful

: an accident that is just barely avoided

: a bomb that misses its target but still causes damage"


I guess I've always used it as the second, an accident that is just barely avoided, and haven't used it as an attempt that is almost successful (Though I tend to use it from a safety/event standpoint for the hospital. We define it as an accident that occurs where no harm occurs to the patient). It seems in normal daily usage it goes both ways depending on context.

Wow...that got off topic.

I was very glad for the basketball game yesterday evening, I felt like I needed a crushing win to wash off that game. It was just hard to see the O line and the receivers doing well (I didn't think Boone was under incredible duress for his missed passes for the most part) and then no connection being made no the pass. There was a few times I also felt he made poor decisions. One that stands out that I've thought before...does it seem that Boone would rather throw it away, even at the expense of an intentional grounding call, than just take a sack? I also felt he would have done better to move up in the pocket when the defense was closing in rather than trying to drop back and to towards the sideline.

Just my 2 cents.

[jimsumner]

To me, the deep pick was not the real momentum killer because it pinned VT to the two yard line. It was when VT hit the third and long pass on the subsequent drive, left side line, that made the big difference. But Boone clearly under threw and/or tried to hit a post route that was extremely well-covered.

The second pick by the lineman -- that was a back breaker although again not sure how much of that was simply a very good defensive scheme. We sure seemed to be third and long all damn day.

The two intentional grounding plays, and the missed/dropped slants that kept us third and long all day, well -- I imagine those are being addressed as we all type.

Good point about third and long. It seemed like Duke started with a lot of first-down incompletions, which enabled VT to send the house on subsequent downs.

We've talked a lot about the uncharacteristic mistakes made by Duke-sacks, turnovers, special teams. But over the last two season Duke has ranged from good to dominant in the fourth quarter. That was most decidedly not the case yesterday. Perhaps VT benefitted from coming in off a bye week. But I've come to accept two things about Duke football recently. If it comes down to special teams, Duke is going to win, if it comes down to the fourth quarter, Duke is going to win.

Neither of those assumptions proved accurate yesterday.

[hillsborodevil]

Without reading the entire thread Boone is without a doubt the best QB on the squad. IMO the issue was play calling. When a defense stacks the line and comes at you repeatedly you must use a one or two step drop and dump the ball over the middle to a TE. Keep the D honest. Just my 2 cents. In closing, very proud of this team regardless of the outcome yesterday.

[martydoesntfoul]

But it was the decision making that troubles me. Boone has been remarkably adept at risk management this season. But the pick that started the second period was on a throw that had no chance of completion. It should never have been thrown. It was a freshman mistake by a redshirt senior.



And that is indeed the problem, along with his inability to move quickly past his mistakes, which leads to more poor decisions and terrible accuracy (e.g., Barnes was open on two plays that would have been TDs). He should be dominating the ACC this year. Let's hope the Texas A&M form (pre-mistakes) resurfaces.

Without doubt the most frustrating loss in recent memory.

I really believe our offense was more dominant last year. How much of that is personnel, and how much of it is Kurt Roper?

[uh_no]

Good point about third and long. It seemed like Duke started with a lot of first-down incompletions, which enabled VT to send the house on subsequent downs.

We've talked a lot about the uncharacteristic mistakes made by Duke-sacks, turnovers, special teams. But over the last two season Duke has ranged from good to dominant in the fourth quarter. That was most decidedly not the case yesterday. Perhaps VT benefitted from coming in off a bye week. But I've come to accept two things about Duke football recently. If it comes down to special teams, Duke is going to win, if it comes down to the fourth quarter, Duke is going to win.

Neither of those assumptions proved accurate yesterday.

we had more penalty yards than our opponent...which is a first this year....as was said on the radio broadcast: what else can go wrong....even when we had a shot on the last drive with 2 minutes left, we killed ourselves with 15 yards of penalties.

[mr. synellinden]

Way off topic here, but...

The title of the article about the loss says, "The Near Miss," which is supposed to be a reference about the missed field goal. I've always understood "near miss" to mean something like, "We almost missed the exit, but we made the turn just in time. It was a near miss." It's used to describe something that almost happens but doesn't.

Have I been using this incorrectly my whole life? Of course, no offense is intended to the article's eloquent author (I love Jim Sumner articles).


George Carlin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdPy5Ikn7dw) was all over this. Go to the 4:00 minute mark. Or listen to the whole thing - it's worth it.

[Tripping William]

we had more penalty yards than our opponent...which is a first this year....as was said on the radio broadcast: what else can go wrong....even when we had a shot on the last drive with 2 minutes left, we killed ourselves with 15 yards of penalties.

Reminds me of Cut's line from a couple weeks ago that more football games are lost than are won. Seems like that clearly happened yesterday.

[uh_no]

Reminds me of Cut's line from a couple weeks ago that more football games are lost than are won. Seems like that clearly happened yesterday.

for both teams....VT tried to lose it very very hard, and then we lost it right back.

[devildeac]

we had more penalty yards than our opponent...which is a first this year....as was said on the radio broadcast: what else can go wrong....even when we had a shot on the last drive with 2 minutes left, we killed ourselves with 15 yards of penalties.

We had more penalties, 8-7, but less penalty yards, 50-75. Point taken though that so many penalties were rather uncharacteristic of us for this year. Hell, even one of the the VT penalties helped them, as they were called for a false start on a play which resulted in yet another sack for us, which of course didn't count as the play was whistled dead. :mad:

[duke4ever19]

George Carlin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdPy5Ikn7dw) was all over this. Go to the 4:00 minute mark. Or listen to the whole thing - it's worth it.

Love George Carlin. Thanks for the link. Was watching some Carlin circa 1978 just a week ago.

[uh_no]

We had more penalties, 8-7, but less penalty yards, 50-75. Point taken though that so many penalties were rather uncharacteristic of us for this year. Hell, even one of the the VT penalties helped them, as they were called for a false start on a play which resulted in yet another sack for us, which of course didn't count as the play was whistled dead. :mad:

good catch. apparently i roger clemensed (misrememberd) the box score.

[jimsumner]

good catch. apparently i roger clemensed (misrememberd) the box score.

Apparently the intentional grounding penalties are just considered sack (negative) yardage, not penalty yardage.

Even then, I'm not sure about the penalty yardage. Duke had 48 penalty yards in the first half and ended with 50? What about the false-start penalty on the final drive? So, I suspect there's a math error (s) somewhere along the line.

[uh_no]

Apparently the intentional grounding penalties are just considered sack (negative) yardage, not penalty yardage.

Even then, I'm not sure about the penalty yardage. Duke had 48 penalty yards in the first half and ended with 50? What about the false-start penalty on the final drive? So, I suspect there's a math error (s) somewhere along the line.

i got something like 60 for the game if you count the two declined penalties as well, but not the intentional grounding

[devildeac]

Apparently the intentional grounding penalties are just considered sack (negative) yardage, not penalty yardage.

Even then, I'm not sure about the penalty yardage. Duke had 48 penalty yards in the first half and ended with 50? What about the false-start penalty on the final drive? So, I suspect there's a math error (s) somewhere along the line.


i got something like 60 for the game if you count the two declined penalties as well, but not the intentional grounding

Interesting. I looked at 2 sources both last night and today, goduke and espn, and both had the same numbers. Maybe Bob Harris was counting up penalties and yards from the radio booth and misunderestimated a time or two :rolleyes:.

[Tripping William]

Both AP and McPaper have Duke at #25 following the loss. Guess BeamerBall still has a halo effect, and writers & coaches didn't actually watch the game (shocker!).

[CameronBornAndBred]

VT sucks, but then again so does Syracuse and they gave us a hell of a game.
I still stand by that statement. VT is not a good team. We picked a hell of a day to suck worse. Similar to Miami, we pick the biggest games to lay eggs on.
The defense put on a solid show, too bad Boone could not match. I lost count of how many times he threw to Blakeney; it was as if Crowder and McCaffrey weren't even on the field.

[Duvall]

I still stand by that statement. VT is not a good team. We picked a hell of a day to suck worse. Similar to Miami, we pick the biggest games to lay eggs on.
The defense put on a solid show, too bad Boone could not match. I lost count of how many times he threw to Blakeney; it was as if Crowder and McCaffrey weren't even on the field.

That probably has nothing to do with Kendall Fuller.

[CameronBornAndBred]

That probably has nothing to do with Kendall Fuller.
From where I was sitting, the game plan didn't include anyone but Blakeney. I watched the field, and the passing was too continuous to rule out others weren't open. Regardless, if Crowder is your best receiver (and he is), then trust him to make a play and beat his defender. Same with McCaffrey. Big time players make big time plays. (Unless the ball is thrown 7 feet above your head, then it doesn't matter who you throw to.)

[OldPhiKap]

From where I was sitting, the game plan didn't include anyone but Blakeney. I watched the field, and the passing was too continuous to rule out others weren't open. Regardless, if Crowder is your best receiver (and he is), then trust him to make a play and beat his defender. Same with McCaffrey. Big time players make big time plays. (Unless the ball is thrown 7 feet above your head, then it doesn't matter who you throw to.)

There were several slants with Blakeney on the left side, late, that he should absolutely live on. Defense blitzing, he slants in behind and runs runs runs. All incomplete.

I wonder if Crowder was hurt late. Kinda looked it.

[gep]

Well... for me, of course, very disappointing. BUT, if this the ONE game is where EVERYTHING BAD happens (missed field goals, penalties, erratic offense, etc), then the rest of the season should to relatively smoothly (cross my fingers and everything else)

[devildeac]

There were several slants with Blakeney on the left side, late, that he should absolutely live on. Defense blitzing, he slants in behind and runs runs runs. All incomplete.

I wonder if Crowder was hurt late. Kinda looked it.



This sounds/looks true about Blakeney and I think he dropped one that we thought was gonna be a TD, the DB made a good play on 1 or 2 others and Boone overthrew one, too. Fuse texted me during the 4th quarter, IIRC, as he watched/listened and said Crowder hurt his ankle but we spotted him back in the next series. We were sitting with Bob Green and he noted a play or two after that it appeared that Crowder landed on his hand and looked hurt but that was late in the game I think. I'm trying to blot this one out of my memory.

[DownEastDevil]

I lost count of how many times he threw to Blakeney; it was as if Crowder and McCaffrey weren't even on the field.

I really didn't have a problem with him throwing to Blakeney, the problem was he never hit him in stride. When you throw 3 ft over a 6'6" guys head you are struggling. He has been like this all year and I really can't remember him being that bad last year. Maybe I'm wrong, it may be that our receivers are just too short and slow to catch up with his throws.;)

[Acymetric]

Well... for me, of course, very disappointing. BUT, if this the ONE game is where EVERYTHING BAD happens (missed field goals, penalties, erratic offense, etc), then the rest of the season should to relatively smoothly (cross my fingers and everything else)

Offense has been somewhat erratic all season but I see your point.

[Richard Berg]

When was the last time the sideline bomb to J Barnes actually worked? Troy last year, maybe? As a freshman, our QBs occasionally got the ball onto his hands, but he had trouble holding on. Nowadays we can't even deliver the football within arms reach. Kid clearly has enough speed to beat the opponent's #3 DB -- and makes an awesome "gunner" on punts -- but so far it's just leading to wasted downs.

[Bob Green]

This sounds/looks true about Blakeney and I think he dropped one that we thought was gonna be a TD...

Our first offensive play from scrimmage in the 3rd quarter was a quick slant to Blakeney who had his man beat to the inside. It would have been a touchdown as there was no safety help so the field was wide open, but the pass was high and Blakeney barely got his hands on it and couldn't snag the ball.

I watched the play on ESPN3 multiple times Sunday afternoon and it was painful seeing the missed opportunity.

EDIT: The play in question was actually the first offensive play from scrimmage of our second possession in the 3rd quarter.

[devildeac]

Our first offensive play from scrimmage in the 3rd quarter was a quick slant to Blakeney who had his man beat to the inside. It would have been a touchdown as there was no safety help so the field was wide open, but the pass was high and Blakeney barely got his hands on it and couldn't snag the ball.

I watched the play on ESPN3 multiple times Sunday afternoon and it was painful seeing the missed opportunity.

That's the play I was remembering. Painful just to think about, let alone punishing myself by watching in multiple times the next day, too:rolleyes:. Hope you had lots of Modelo to help:o.

[Reilly]

When Kelby and Deaver went down, I figured that meant we'd end up with at least one more loss than we otherwise would have had this year. So if we ended up going 8-4 on the year, that means we would've gone 9-3 w/ them. Maybe VT was that one more loss ... Kelby would've stopped a 98-yard TD drive ... Deaver would've helped turn some of our FGs into TDs ....

We're 8-2 and do not need outside help to win the ACC Coastal, the ACC championship, or the Orange Bowl or some other bowl.

We will be playing in every game that determines whether we bring home some hardware this year.

We decide.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

When Kelby and Deaver went down, I figured that meant we'd end up with at least one more loss than we otherwise would have had this year. So if we ended up going 8-4 on the year, that means we would've gone 9-3 w/ them. Maybe VT was that one more loss ... Kelby would've stopped a 98-yard TD drive ... Deaver would've helped turn some of our FGs into TDs ....

We're 8-2 and do not need outside help to win the ACC Coastal, the ACC championship, or the Orange Bowl or some other bowl.

We will be playing in every game that determines whether we bring home some hardware this year.

We decide.

Best post on this thread, we are still in the driver seat for whatever we want this season. All that is needed is to win 3 games in a row. Then finish with an Orange Bowl win. If not we will still get a good bowl game and it is still a successful season.

[Wander]

Boone wasn't on the field when VT drove 98 yards for a score


Kelby would've stopped a 98-yard TD drive

Good posts, but this point has been brought up a few times and I just wanted to point out that I thought the defense played very well. They gave up the 98 yard drive for a touchdown - so what? Is the defense supposed to pitch a shutout every game? Virginia Tech was 2-15 on 3rd down, 0-2 in 4th down, got basically nothing on any of their kick or punt returns, was forced into several fumbles (we just didn't recover any of them, well, at least according to the refs...), was held to their 3rd lowest point total of the season, and was forced into quick punts on their last three drives in the 4th quarter when we only needed a field goal to win. I don't think the defense giving up only one drive for points that wasn't on a turnover-induced very short field is a thing that should be pointed out as a reason for the loss - just the opposite, it should be considered one of the reasons we were even in the game at all at the end.

[Reilly]

Good posts, but this point has been brought up a few times and I just wanted to point out that I thought the defense played very well. They gave up the 98 yard drive for a touchdown - so what? Is the defense supposed to pitch a shutout every game? Virginia Tech was 2-15 on 3rd down, 0-2 in 4th down, got basically nothing on any of their kick or punt returns, was forced into several fumbles (we just didn't recover any of them, well, at least according to the refs...), was held to their 3rd lowest point total of the season, and was forced into quick punts on their last three drives in the 4th quarter when we only needed a field goal to win. I don't think the defense giving up only one drive for points that wasn't on a turnover-induced very short field is a thing that should be pointed out as a reason for the loss - just the opposite, it should be considered one of the reasons we were even in the game at all at the end.

Wander, I agree with you that the defense played well. I never suggested otherwise. What I'm talking about is marginal gains: take a defense that played well against VT, and add a senior all-ACC LB and it may have achieved even more. VT is challenged offensively with numerous RBs having gone down, and with their worst OL in recent memory (look at how many sacks we had versus how many we've had the rest of the way). With Kelby, maybe we do even more. These games are tight, lots of plays and decisions go into influencing them, and when everybody's scratching for every inch and every point, removing two players the caliber of Kelby and Deaver gives that much less room for error (and by error, I don't mean any defensive error necessarily ... but the team as a whole making up for a missed FG, or not turning a FG into a TD).

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

There's quite a bit which can be dissected in Saturday's game, but there really isn't time to linger on that aspect because of the short turn around this week. What's required is that yesterday our guys turned their focus to Thursday's game. This Duke team is a very disciplined team, Saturday's performance not withstanding. It may be a good thing that they have to move on.

[duke79]

Yea, this was a tough loss. We could have and should have beaten VT, but that is football. Frankly, the Pitt game was a gift to us with the missed field goal at the end so it seems the football Gods took one back from us. I watched most of the game and, needless to say, the offense did not have a great game. From watching games the past two years, it seems like Anthony Boone can be frustratingly inconsistent. Sometimes, he throw passes with a lot of velocity, a tight spiral, and right on the money to the receiver. You think, this guy could be an all-American quarterback. One or two plays later, he misses an open receiver by a wide margin and you think, I'm not sure this guy could start for some high school teams. And in the VT game, he was mostly the inconsistent AB. I'm no football expert but I don't fully understand why he is so inconsistent from play to play. His mechanics seem fine to me and he has worked with one of the top QB coaches in the country for five years. I don't know if he rushes passes when he is being pressured or he can't see over some of the linemen to see the receivers clearly, but it is frustrating to watch him at times. (and I'm sure he's a good leader and fine young person). Let's hope AB and the offense play more consistently the last two games and (hopefully) for the ACC title game.

[Jarhead]

It was a very bad weekend for me. I was a bit disappointed in Duke's loss, but I am still thrilled in having a team that habitually wins lots of games. What made things bad for me was UNCCH winning. Bummer!http://crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/14.gif Crunch UNCCH!!

[johnb]

Hey, it was painful, but we stayed in the top 25 while such no names as Clemson, LSU, and Notre Dame dropped out after their losses; Carolina is being sued by a former football player (http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/07/us/unc-academic-scandal/index.html?hpt=hp_t2); all 3 of our 2016 recruits are 4 stars; we have Carolina in 3 days, and if we get back on a winning streak, we can be ACC champs. It's a sunny day in Dukeland.

[arnie]

Yea, this was a tough loss. We could have and should have beaten VT, but that is football. Frankly, the Pitt game was a gift to us with the missed field goal at the end so it seems the football Gods took one back from us. I watched most of the game and, needless to say, the offense did not have a great game. From watching games the past two years, it seems like Anthony Boone can be frustratingly inconsistent. Sometimes, he throw passes with a lot of velocity, a tight spiral, and right on the money to the receiver. You think, this guy could be an all-American quarterback. One or two plays later, he misses an open receiver by a wide margin and you think, I'm not sure this guy could start for some high school teams. And in the VT game, he was mostly the inconsistent AB. I'm no football expert but I don't fully understand why he is so inconsistent from play to play. His mechanics seem fine to me and he has worked with one of the top QB coaches in the country for five years. I don't know if he rushes passes when he is being pressured or he can't see over some of the linemen to see the receivers clearly, but it is frustrating to watch him at times. (and I'm sure he's a good leader and fine young person). Let's hope AB and the offense play more consistently the last two games and (hopefully) for the ACC title game.
Also noticed that Sirk is getting less time as the season progresses. Does this mean Cut doesn't have any confidence in his passing or decision making? Also curious who might be the go to QB next year- Boehme ( sp) Sirk or someone lease?

[devildeac]

Also noticed that Sirk is getting less time as the season progresses. Does this mean Cut doesn't have any confidence in his passing or decision making? Also curious who might be the go to QB next year- Boehme ( sp) Sirk or someone lease?

I can almost guarantee that we will not be leasing a QB next year. Who do you think we are, f$u or c*rolina?:rolleyes:

(Just kidding, I knew what you meant but couldn't resist a jab.)

I'll guess Nico Pierre gives both of those guys a stiff challenge.

[Bob Green]

Also noticed that Sirk is getting less time as the season progresses. Does this mean Cut doesn't have any confidence in his passing or decision making? Also curious who might be the go to QB next year- Boehme ( sp) Sirk or someone lease?

Sirk was in at quarterback on 4th and two, which we successfully converted on a screen pass from Sirk to Shaq Powell. Coach Cutcliffe definitely has confidence in Sirk. While I expect a healthy quarterback competition come Spring, Sirk has to be considered the front runner. Parker Boehme and Nico Pierre are the competition.

[jimsumner]

Sirk was in at quarterback on 4th and two, which we successfully converted on a screen pass from Sirk to Shaq Powell. Coach Cutcliffe definitely has confidence in Sirk. While I expect a healthy quarterback competition come Spring, Sirk has to be considered the front runner. Parker Boehme and Nico Pierre are the competition.

Sirk has played in two contexts, short-yardage and mop-up. Since Duke hasn't had any mop-up opportunities lately, his appearances have dwindled.

Next year? Pierre is that always popular option, the back-up quarterback that no one has actually seen. :)

But he was pretty highly-regarded in high school and the last two Heisman winners were redshirt freshman QBs. So, dust off the trophy case.

Seriously, I suspect Cut will tell Sirk, Boehme and Pierre that he's holding auditions for the lead role of starting quarterback and may the best man win.

[oldnavy]

Boone had a bad game.

I was less concerned with getting Boone out of the game, than I was with play selection.

It seemed to me that we ran an awful lot of off tackle dive plays after the first quarter.

While just observing from the fans perspective, I would have loved to have seen more of the read option / pitch plays that seemed to have fairly good success early in the game.

Also, VT was very quick on defense and holes closed fast... I also would have liked to see a reverse since the VT guys were pursuing hard....

If we can work out the offensive kinks, I really like our chances against UNC this week.

They will run that aggravating hurry up offense and probably put at least 30 points on the board.... if so we need 31!!